Call Me Joseph
by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: A What If that comes from "The Legacy". See author notes inside. Rated T to be safe. Rating and Genre always subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

*There is a town named Martinsdale in Montana (or there was almost thirty years ago). However, as far as I know, there isn't one in Nevada. If there is, I don't know of it.

A/N A number of years ago, I did a story off 'The Legacy'. I never was satisfied with it and eventually deleted the story. I just finally got around to writing another story based on the episode.

Chapter One

Adam stood outside the Martinsdale Saloon and shook his head ever so slightly. This isn't where he'd planned on being in the fall. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity-though it was less than a minute -Adam reached out and, pushing through the two brown swinging doors, stepped inside.

Once inside, he looked around. There were a few medium sized brown tables in the middle of the room, along with a small square table in each corner. There were a few patrons sitting at the tables, and some leaning on, or standing at the long wooden bar that stood off to his right.

"Hello, there." A red headed woman dressed in a bright knee length red dress that had thin straps at the top, waltzed up to him. "Want to buy me a drink?" She started to wrap her right arm around his left one only to have Adam stop her.

"I'm looking for a friend, name's Teresa." Adam smiled politely.

"Teresa isn't here yet, but she sent word that she should be soon." The young woman replied, "That is if you're Adam Cartwright." She then smiled coyly and asked, "Sure you don't want to buy me a drink while you wait?" The young woman took a step towards Adam only to find him stepping backwards.

"I'll sit over there." He pointed to his left, at the square table in the corner. "And no," he did his best to speak politely, "I don't want any company."

"Have it your way." The woman turned and walked over to one of the other patrons, while Adam made his way to the table and sat down. Once he was seated, he turned his face towards the window and let his mind wander, as he watched for the woman he knew only as Teresa to appear.

" _Do you think you can find him?" Ben stood on the front porch of his home, tears threatening to stream down his face. It had been months since he'd been home, and they all wondered where he was._

" _I don't know, Pa." Adam stood next to his father and sighed. "But I have to try, for his sake, for our sakes. He has to be told the truth; he needs to come home."_

"Well, hello, stranger," a dark haired woman with a sky blue dress that almost touch the floor and sleeves that went to her wrists walked up to him and smiled.

Adam turned his face away from the window and did his best to smile at the dark haired woman standing before him. He had never thought to see her outside his office. The fact that she was dressed modestly had him chuckling. He knew she did that for him, not the rest of the saloon patrons. "Hello, Teresa. You're going to have people talking." He said as he looked around at the patrons, and the puzzled looks they were giving her…looks that questioned what was going on.

"It's my day off." She told him as Adam stood and pulled out a chair for her. Once she was seated she lowered her voice and asked, "Have you found him?"

Adam shook his head. "No, and I've been looking for the past three months. I had hoped he would pass by here." He said; his eyes expressing an intrinsic knowledge; 'The two of you are closer than any one I have ever seen'.

For a moment Teresa looked as if she was going to cry, but she sucked it in and shook her head slightly, "He stopped by two and a half months ago, but since then I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. I keep waiting though." She paused and then asked in a near angry tone, "He never would have …" Teresa lifted her hand and covered her mouth as some tears managed to escape her eyes. "

Adam didn't have to be told what she was going to say; neither he nor his brothers would have left the Ponderosa in the first place if they had known the truth. He pushed back his chair and stood up and then, after putting a good sized amount of money down on the table, he said, "Don't argue. It was in his drawer, in an envelope with your name on it. I think he was going to ask you to marry him. He wanted you out of this place. If you want," he sighed, "If you'll let us help you, we can get you a place in Virginia City and reputable work. No, you don't need to answer me now, but take the money. Like I said, it was in his drawer and meant for you." He then headed for the door.

"Adam," Teresa turned and looked at him, tears still in her eyes. "Find him; bring him back to me, please. I want to go to Virginia City, but with him; not by myself."

Adam felt a lump start to grow in his throat as he went to reply only he found himself unable to speak. Finally, he just nodded his head and walked out the door, praying he would be able to do just that. After all, she wasn't the only one who needed him back; they all did.

He headed towards the stable only to hear a young man yelling his name. Adam turned around to see the red headed, fourteen-year-old messenger boy who worked at the telegraph office. The lad by the name of Curtis Tanner continued calling Adam's name while waving a telegraph in his hand. Adam's heart skipped a beat while he prayed the message inside the telegraph would contain good news…or at least a decent lead.


	2. Chapter 2

Call Me Joseph

*Again, as far as I know, this town does not really exist in Nevada. If it does, I don't know it. Also, I know in The Legacy Little Joe did not kill Billy Chapen for any reason. However, for the sake of the storyline, I changed that fact.

A/N I know Candy and Adam weren't on the show at the same time, but I need him.

 _ **Previously:**_ _He headed towards the stable only to hear a young man yelling his name. Adam turned around to see the red headed, fourteen-year-old messenger boy who worked at the telegraph office. The lad by the name of Curtis Tanner continued calling Adam's name while waving a telegraph in his hand. Adam's heart skipped a beat while he prayed the message inside the telegraph would contain good news…or at least a decent lead._

 **~oOo~**

Adam sighed, as the stagecoach he was riding hit another bump in the road. He'd sent a wire to the family and then left Martinsdale, heading towards Limesville; a town he was sure would be a ghost town within the next five or ten years. His thought on the telegraph that had once again propelled him to continue his search. _"Your brother seen outside Limesville, want us to investigate?"_ It was from the detective agency Ben Cartwright had hired to find his missing son; apparently, his pa had told them where Adam had gone. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd turned his duties at the ranch over to *Candy and had promised his pa he'd spend some quality time searching, Adam might have told the detective agency to go ahead. As it was, he sent them a telegram saying he would check it out and then get back with them.

"Sir, is something wrong?" a concerned female voice interrupted his thoughts, and Adam turned and looked at the dishwater blonde haired woman who sat on the opposite seat of him. The fact that she was worried could be seen in her eyes; it made Adam wonder what he'd done.

"Why do you ask?" he asked as he made sure he was smiling at her.

"You seem a million miles away and you started to frown." The woman replied and then shrugged her shoulders. "I thought; maybe, you needed someone to talk to. However, I'll understand if you say it's none of my business."

Adam couldn't help but smile wide. "Maybe not, but you'd naturally be curious after I started frowning, something I had not realized I was doing." He then thanked her for her concern adding, "I'm searching for a family member." He was surprised when he saw the sympathy in her eyes change from pain and then to pure empathy. Her voice trembled a little as she started talking.

"My cousin's been missing for eleven years. He came home from the war; we had a huge family celebration and then…" she sighed and shook her head, "He up and disappeared. We have no clue what happened or why. You have my sympathy, and I hope you find who you're looking for."

"I do too." Adam said quietly as he turned his eyes towards the window and let his mind wander back through time.

" _Hey!" Adam walked out of the barn to find a bucketful of water covering him. Hoss and Little Joe were off to the side of him; laughing._

" _Just because I got you a little bit wet last night," Adam tried to sound upset, but failed as a grin spread from one ear to another._

" _Yea, just a little!" Little Joe looked at Hoss and then asked the giant cowboy how long it took his clothes to dry after their guests had left._

" _A good couple of hours, might not have been the case, but the sun was already in bed!" Hoss shot back and continued chuckling. "I noticed that, bein' the only dry one, our dear brother here grabbed some extra minutes with the ladies. Maybe he's a thinkin' seriously to git himself a wife!"_

 _That comment soon had Hoss and Little Joe in another all-out water fight as Adam, who commented it wasn't his fault his two brothers decided it was necessary to leave the party when other men had joined in the fun and were just as wet as they, grabbed a bucket, filled it with water from the trough and threw it on them once more._

"Where are you? Will I find you in Limesville or not?" Adam asked silently as he watched three birds flying off in the distance, high up in the sky. He couldn't help but smile sadly as he couldn't help compare the three birds flying together to what he and his brothers had once had. Adam vowed with a vengeance to do all he could do bring his brother home and make it so the family was as whole once more…no matter how far he had to go. He just hoped and prayed that it was a promise that he could keep.

 **~oOo~**

Ben walked into the living room to find Hoss sitting absolutely still on the sofa and staring into the empty fireplace. Ben felt his heart ache for his middle son; actually, it ached for all of them. "Adam will find him; he'll bring him back home." He said as he walked over and sat down on a footstool that sat near Hoss.

"I cin't forget the look on his face when we parted to go our separate ways; he was as angry as Adam or me," Hoss shook his head. "The law said he killed the other guy, but they said he did it in self defense. So, why doesn't he come home?" Hoss turned and looked at his father, his eyes pleading for Ben to help him understand.

Ben said nothing at first. How could he? He had no idea how to answer a question he had asked himself more than once since he'd returned home. His mind wandered into the past. It wasn't that long ago his family had been whole and happy. Then all of a sudden, without warning, life had changed and how it had hurt. Like Hoss and Adam, all he wanted was for his youngest to be found and brought home. "Like I said, Adam will find him. I know he will."


	3. Chapter 3

*Again, as far as I know, this town does not really exist in Nevada. If it does, I don't know it. Also, I am sorry to any of the readers who thought I was imply that the water fight in the last chapter was from the episode...it wasn't. It is simply supposed to be a memory from the past is all.

Chapter Three

*Again, as far as I know, this town does not really exist in Nevada. If it does, I don't know it.

Excerpt from Chapter Two: _"Where are you? Will I find you in Limesville or not?" Adam asked silently as he watched three birds flying off in the distance, high up in the sky. He couldn't help but smile sadly as he couldn't help compare the three birds flying together to what he and his brothers had once had. Maybe he couldn't turn back the cloud and give the family back what they had lost, but Adam vowed with a vengeance to do all he could do bring his brother home and make it so the family was as whole once more…no matter how far he, Adam, had to go. He just hoped and prayed that it was a promise that he could keep._

 _~oOo~_

Adam stepped off the stagecoach and looked around Limesville. There were a few men standing in front of couple of the businesses talking, while others were walking up and down both sides of the street. While it wasn't an overly large town; it was definitely more alive than Martinsdale had been.

Thinking things over, Adam decided that the best two places to ask about Joe's sighting would be the law office and the saloon. As much as he hated to put the law office first, he figured he might as well get it out of the way. Slowly he started walking down the nearby boardwalk, heading south. He could see a building approximately two hundred yards away. The sign above its doors, one that read SHERIFF'S OFFICE, were large enough to make it easily read even at that distance. By the time Adam opened the door to the law office, he'd had to side step more than one person.

Upon hearing the door to his law office open, Sheriff Thomas Blanchard-a tall salt and peppered haired man in his late forties, with a solid build and broad shoulders-looked up. Never having seen the stranger before, the good sheriff leaned backwards and kept his eyes on Adam as he, Adam, shut the door and walked up to him.

When Adam said nothing, the sheriff grew uneasy and asked, "May I help you, stranger?"

" _I both hope you can and hope you can't.'_ Adam thought, as he introduced himself. "I was wondering if my youngest brother might have passed this way. His name is Joseph Cartwright, but we call him Little Joe." He then gave the sheriff a description of Little Joe. Adam, who had noticed the sheriff stiffen ever so slightly as Adam talked, didn't know what to think as the sheriff twirled the pencil he held, using both his thumbs and pointer fingers, but said nothing.

"Sheriff?" Adam leaned forward, putting his hands upon the lawman's desk.

 _"Call me Joseph"_ Little Joe's words rang in the sheriff's ears. "I've met him." Sheriff Blanchard sighed and put his pencil down, sending mixed messages to Adam as he did so.

"You have both a look of admiration and sorrow in your eyes. Why?" Adam feared the worst.

Remembering the curly headed fellow who had ridden into his town, the sheriff leaned back and, looking Adam in the eyes, answered, "He's helped a few people out, including my closest friends, out immensely but- in spite of my efforts to get him to hire on as my deputy- he refused."

"Where is he? Is he still in town?" Adam asked, his voice low-as he was fighting to keep the anxious feeling he had inside of him down to a manageable level.

The sheriff looked as if he was debating whether or not to say anything more, which puzzled Adam after what the man had just said. However, before Adam could say anything, the sheriff was talking once more.

Sit down." The sheriff gestured towards the chair that set in front of his desk.

"Sit down? I've been looking for my brother for over just three months. If you wanted to hire him as your deputy, Little Joe couldn't have done anything wrong. Why don't you just tell me when he left and in which direction he was heading?" Adam once again began speaking low and calmly, though his eyes were yelling plenty.

Sheriff Blanchard didn't blame Adam for being annoyed at him; he more than understood it. Though, for both Cartwrights sake, he felt strongly Adam needed to hear what he had to say. He also knew if he told Adam just how little time had passed since Joseph had left his office and exactly where he was, the lawman just knew Joseph's oldest brother would take off without hearing a word. "I asked you to sit down." The sheriff replied with as firm a tone as he had ever used with any of his five children, or anyone else for that matter.

Recognizing the seriousness in the man's voice, Adam pulled the chair the sheriff had pointed to away from the desk and did as the man had asked, though that did not keep him from sending the sheriff a silent message…'this had better be good'.

"Mr. Cartwright…" the sheriff began talking, only to have Adam interrupt.

"It's Adam; Mr. Cartwright is my father." Adam informed him.

The sheriff smiled, remembering a day he'd have answered similarly if someone had called him Mr. Blanchard. "Trust me; we need to take time for me to tell you what I have to say, especially since people have a way of embellishing the truth as time goes on." He looked upon Adam as if to dare him to say differently.

Adam didn't have to be told how mankind could twist, or add untrue facts, to an actual event. He and his family had had it happen time and time again, to the point that they wondered if some people simply chose to blow out their candle as it were the day they were born. All right, it wasn't a very nice thing to wonder only, with the way some people acted, it was definitely a valid theory as far as Adam was concerned. "So, what is it that you want me to know?"

Sheriff Blanchard once again leaned backwards then began to talk.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

*Colby and *Colonel Chapen - along with his son, Billy Chapen, are the actual town named in "The Legacy" and characters from that episode. Anyone who hasn't watched that episode for a while, and has forgotten, Billy shot Ben towards the first of the show. In fact, if you haven't watched it for a while, you might want to bring it up on YouTube and watch it. However, I've changed what took place.

 **Previously:**

 _ **Adam didn't have to be told how mankind could twist, or add untrue facts, to an actual event. He and his family had had it happen time and time again, to the point that they wondered if some people simply**_ _ **chose**_ _ **to blow out their candle as it were the day they were born. All right, it wasn't a very nice thing to wonder only, with the way some people acted, it was definitely a valid theory as far as he was concerned. "So, what is it that you want me to know?"**_

 _ **Sheriff Blanchard once again leaned backwards then began to talk.**_

 _~oOo~_

 _Flashback…_

 _Sheriff Blanchard sat behind his desk looking at the Wanted Posters and other mail that had arrived in his office that morning. He shook his head, as much of the mail was the normal, everyday, run of the mill correspondence. However, the last one from the sheriff in *Colby caught his eye. The two of them had been friends for years, so he set everything aside and opened up the letter._

 _End Flashback…_

The sheriff straightened up, and planted his feet firmly on the floor and looked at Adam. "Sheriff Briggs wrote to me about a discussion he'd had with a *Colonel Chapen. His son, *Billy, *shot Ben Cartwright and when, as he said, 'Mr. Cartwright's son cornered him about it in the saloon the fool drew his gun in front of everyone - including the sheriff. Needless to say, the man had no choice but to shoot Billy Chapen in self defense'."

"We know that; Sheriff Briggs sent us a telegram stating as much, but that's all he told us." Adam started to stand up only to have the sheriff wave at him to sit back down.

"I'm not done." Sheriff Ballard said as he began talking again. "That letter was delayed; I should have been reading it weeks before I did. As it was, by the time I finished the letter I heard a commotion, along with a shot, outside. I threw the letter down and ran outside."

 _Flashback…_

 _Sheriff Blanchard was surprised, but not shocked, to see a curly headed stranger standing in front of the golden headed, sixteen-year-old Agnes Hunter while keeping Bradley Johnson-a red headed twenty-four-year-old at bay; Mr._ _Johnson's gun lay on the ground and he was holding his arm. It didn't take the sheriff but a split second to figure out Mr._ _Johnson_ _had pulled his gun on the stranger. Inwardly, the sheriff cursed Bradley Johnson; the man had been nothing but trouble since the day he had moved to town ten years earlier._

" _I won't ask what was going on." Sheriff Blanchard stepped off the boardwalk and, placing his hands on his hips, glared at_ _Bradley Johnson. "Just pick up your gun and get out of town before I change my mind!"_

" _I was just having a little fun with the girl." Bradley whined as he picked up his gun and put it back into the holster. "There was no need for him to get involved." He gestured towards the gentleman no one knew._

" _I don't call slapping her and trying to force her to go with you; having a little fun." Little Joe growled low; he hadn't ridden into town just to deal with another brainless idiot. Still, he didn't see how he could just stand by and watch this man get away with what he had been doing._

" _You hit her?" The sheriff stared at Bradley; the man had done a lot of things, but he'd never hit a woman in public before. If he'd done that, the man was definitely going downhill fast._

 _Before Bradley could deny it, Agnes spoke up while rubbing her left cheek. "Yes, he did! Told me I was no better than one of the saloon girls, and I've never done anything to warrant that comment!" She then wiped a few tears off her face._

" _Get your things and get out of town; I don't want to see you around for a solid month!" the Sheriff glared at Billy. He knew the idiot would be back and try something like this again... only he wouldn't be with Agnes. The young woman and her family would be moving back east in the next couple of weeks…the main reason the Sheriff had told Bradley to stay out of town for a month._

 _Bradley muttered and walked away, but not before he threw a hateful glare towards the stranger in town._

" _Go on home, Agnes." The Sheriff gave the young woman a kindly smile and then looked at the curly headed fellow in front of him. "What's your_ _name_ _sir?" He asked, hoping he hadn't just kicked one troublemaker out of town just to get another one._

 _What was his name? Joe felt his heart break in half for the hundredth time. His father had nicknamed him Little Joe, and every time he went to say it, Little Joe felt another knife go into his heart. He didn't want to hear anyone else call him that. Besides, he was getting too old to be called 'Little'_ _anymore. "Call me Joseph," he answered after a moment of silence._

 _End Flashback..._

"I told Bradley to stay out of town." Sheriff Blanchard shook his head while a look of disgust came onto his face. "Only problem was I knew him well enough to know there was a high chance that, sooner or later, he'd find-or be given- a reason to be back. I was afraid of what might happen if he did that only," he shrugged his shoulders, "I was powerless to do any more than I already had."

Adam didn't like the direction he felt sure the story was going. "Before you go any further, are you going to be telling me my brother is dead at the end of this?" He had to know that up front; he didn't think he could take wondering through the sheriff's entire story.

Sheriff Blanchard hesitated and then, his shoulders slumping forward ever so slightly, shook his head. "He was still alive when I left him."

"He was when you left him," Adam leaned forward, his eyes growing hard, "He's been wounded? Is he at the doctor's office?"

"Yes, he's wounded," the sheriff finally answered. "He's at the doctor's home, in one of his spare rooms. And, the last time I checked, he was holding his own."

"I want to hear the rest of your story." Adam said as he stood up. "But you'll tell me it after I send a wire to my pa and other brother, and you'll tell it to me while I sit with my baby brother."

"Telegraph office is having problems; they're being worked on though. How about we go to your brother first? I'll tell you the rest of the story and, hopefully, the problems the telegraph office is having will have been fixed by the time you finish hearing the whole story.

"Fine," Adam answered as he turned towards the door. "Where's the doctor's home?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

 _Previously: Adam didn't like the direction he felt sure the story was going. "Before you go any further, are you going to be telling me my brother is dead at the end of this?" He had to know that up front; he didn't think he could take wondering through the sheriff's entire story._

 _Sheriff Blanchard hesitated and then, his shoulders slumping forward ever so slightly, shook his head. "He was still alive when I left him."..._... _"Fine," Adam answered as he turned towards the door. "Where's the doctor's home?"_

 **~oOo~**

Adam stepped into a room that looked to be ten by twelve feet. Its walls were pure white and held a bed that sat near the only window in the room and near four shelves that were nailed to the wall. _"Man should change those ugly brown curtains"_ Adam thought, but said nothing. Walking over to the bed, Adam stopped beside the bed that Sheriff Blanchard and Doctor Morris, a balding, medium sized built gentleman in his late thirties, had laid Little Joe. Adam didn't like how pale his baby brother looked. Adam turned to look at the sheriff who had remained by the door. "What happened?"

"Bradley Johnson," the sheriff answered in disgust, before assuring Adam that Mr. Johnson would not be hurting anyone else. "He didn't listen to me when it came to staying out of town. Well, he did for a little while, but eventually he found a reason to come back." He then picked up the story where he'd left off.

" _I thought I told you to go home, Agnes." Sheriff Blanchard looked at the young woman, whose eyes were still full of anxiety._

" _My parents won't be home for a couple of hours and my brother won't be home until tonight." She didn't think she had to say what she was afraid of; she didn't._

 _Before the sheriff could say anything, Little Joe spoke up. "It's about noon? May I buy you lunch? Afterwards, you can show me around town. I promise, I'll be nothing but a gentleman."_

 _After what the other fellow had tried, Joe vowed he'd make extra sure she had no reason to fear him._

 _Due to the fact that the man had given him nothing but a first name, Sheriff Blanchard was a bit_ _leery_ _of him. However, he had to admit there was an aurora of goodness about the young man also. "What's your last name, Joseph?" the sheriff asked._

 _Little Joe was somewhat annoyed, but he knew the man was concerned about the young woman and her safety. Still, if he said his last name, surely he'd recognize it. He couldn't risk the man, for any reason, wiring his brothers. They'd would want him to come home, and he just couldn't face the house without his father in it at the moment. "I'd just as soon not say, but I promise you, you won't find my face on any wanted poster. As I just said, you can call me Joseph." The moment Little Joe answered the sheriff's question, he saw a struggle begin in the man's eyes; it did not surprise Little Joe._

 _Sheriff Blanchard didn't like the fact that this Joseph didn't want to hand out his last name, but he couldn't deny the fact that there was something about the young man that screamed he was an honest man. In the end, the part that saw the honesty won out. "You might want to take him up on the offer." The sheriff looked around; he could see Bradley near the livery stable. With the likes of Bradley in the area, it would be good for Agnes to have someone near her who knew how to defend themselves. "If there's any trouble you yell for me, got that?"_

 _Little Joe might have thought the lawman had no other motivation for his words other than trying to make sure he was watching over Limesville, only he learned different_ _as_ _the young woman blushed and answered, "I'll remember that, Uncle Thomas."_

 _It was all Little Joe could do to keep his eyes from opening wide. Not knowing the lawman was simply a very close friend of Agnes' father, he found himself more alert than ever. If Little Joe hadn't already promised to behave himself, he'd have done it at that moment. There was no way he was going to have an_ _upset_ _lawman/uncle mad at him. "Like I said," Little Joe turned around. "You won't have anything to worry about. Not about me anyway."_

 _As his "niece" and the man called Joseph walked toward the café, the good sheriff watched_ _Bradley_ _Johnson mount his horse and ride away from town. He might not have thought much about it, but the man had watched Joseph and Agnes for a few minutes before riding away. Thomas Blanchard again silently cursed the young man; he would be trouble sooner or later. The sheriff just knew he would._

The sheriff looked at Adam Cartwright, pausing from the retelling of the events that had Joseph fighting for his life. How he wished he had simply been able to reunite the brothers without all this drama. He then began speaking again. "It was only after your brother was shot that I learned his last name." The lawman shook his head and then said, "My friend in Colby never stated your brother first name, nor did he describe him in the letter I received. If any of those two things had happened, I would have known he who he was the first time I laid eyes on him and heard his name. And, like it or not, before your brother lost consciousness, he practically ordered me not to send any telegrams to anyone...once again stating he wasn't wanted by the law. I was honouring his wishes." The sheriff paused and then continued, "Since I wasn't with Agnes or Joseph, I couldn't tell you exactly what they talked about." Sheriff Blanchard, who had sat down on a black chair near the window, looked at Adam. "But I can tell you he kept his word. He was nothing but a gentleman. If you want to know how I can be so sure of that, it's because Agnes was smiling from ear to ear when her parents arrived in town; she couldn't stop telling them all about your brother and the places she'd showed him."

Adam went to ask the sheriff a question when a knock came at the door. When Adam, who only a couple feet away from the door, answered it, he saw a golden headed young woman in the doorway. His thoughts that this must be Agnes were confirmed when the sheriff spoke up.

"What are you doing here, Agnes?"

"I wanted to see how Joseph was doing. Who are you?" She asked as she looked upon Adam.

"His oldest brother," Adam stepped aside, allowing Agnes to enter while telling her his name.

"Look," the sheriff stood up. "I need to make my rounds. Why not let Agnes take over telling you what happened? I mean, she knows just as much as I do."

Anxious to have his family informed about what was going on, Adam didn't fight the sheriff, but he did push him to see if a telegram could be sent yet. "My pa and Hoss, our brother, have the right to know what's going on."

"As long as you take responsibility for the telegram being sent, I'll be more than happy to do so." The sheriff answered.

Adam nodded. "Don't worry; I'll be more than happy to take all the credit."

The lawman turned and walked out of the room…telling his 'niece' to leave the door wide open.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

 _ **Previously:**_ _"Look," the sheriff stood up. "I need to make my rounds. Why not let Agnes take over telling you what happened? I mean, she knows just as much as I do."_

 _Anxious to have his family informed about what was going on, Adam didn't fight the sheriff, but he did push him to see if a telegram could be sent yet. "My pa and Hoss, our brother, have the right to know what's going on."_

" _As long as you take responsibility for the telegram being sent, I'll be more than happy to do so." The sheriff answered._

 _Adam nodded. "Don't worry; I'll be more than happy to take all the credit."_

~oOo~

Agnes stood nervously at the bottom of Little Joe's bed. Little Joe talked quite a lot in his injured condition, and he'd talked about his family. This being the case, even though her "uncle" had slipped and forgotten to officially introduce them, she could guess who the man dressed all in black was. "You are Adam?" She asked quietly.

Adam nodded slightly. "Little Joe's been talking about the family?"

"During bouts of semi-consciousness he has," Agnes answered as she gazed upon Little Joe and then asked slowly, "He's got another gal doesn't he?"

Adam smile grew wide. He could see the young woman was infatuated with his baby brother. But, for her to ask that…he must have actually been behaving himself. In spite of what he'd said to Teresa, Adam was surprised to realize just how right he must have been. "Yes, he does." Then, anxious to learn exactly what happened to Little Joe, he gently pressed Agnes to pick up where the sheriff had left off. "I'd like to know; no, I need to know."

Agnes sighed and began telling him the rest of the story.

 _Agnes smiled as the man she knew only as Joseph opened the door of the café for her and then held it open until she was inside. The two of them then followed the waitress to a table in middle of the café. Agnes felt a bit awkward, as he pulled a chair for her and then helped her slide it closer to the table._

 _"You're new to Limesville. Where are you living?" Agnes wasn't really trying to pry; she was simply trying to make conversation. All right, the fact that he was quite handsome in her eyes helped give her courage needed to ask a question most would never come right and ask._

 _Little Joe gave her a smile-though she couldn't help notice it didn't reach up to his eyes. At first he said nothing as he thought on his late father, his brothers who were most likely back at the ranch doing their best to carry on and the fact that, try as he might, he could not get himself to go home or even send a wire. Most of all, he thought about how excited he'd been when he'd finally decided to ask Teresa to marry him; it was something he'd wanted to discuss with his father before he actually proposed to her. That he felt himself freeze every time he thought about going home was a fact he could not explain as he was still struggling to completely understand himself. Finally, he replied in a subdued tone, "I'm just passing through."_

 _Not knowing about Teresa or his family, and seeing pain as bright as diamonds in his eyes, Agnes assumed Joseph had found himself alone in the world. Agnes felt her heart go out to her new friend as the waitress handed them two menus. After the two ordered, Joseph asked her about family._

 _"My parents moved here before I was born; Pa is the local schoolteacher. My brother, James, is the youngest of my father's four sons." She bit her lower lip and then said sadly, "I never met my two oldest brothers; they were killed at Shiloh in the war. My other brother, Charles, moved back to Maine with his wife. My only sister passed away two years ago after giving birth to a baby girl. Her husband and daughter live in Vermont; that's where my father was originally from." She then apologized that he was stuck babysitting as it were. "I'm too old to act this way; it's just that Bradley Johnson scares me." She turned her eyes downward, a bit ashamed at the way she'd reacted._

 _"Hey, don't worry about that. A man like that; well, I don't blame you for being nervous." Little Joe assured her as he finished his meal. Afterwards, he reminded her she promised to show him the town._

"I walked him around town, showed him the various buildings and even talked to a few people." Agnes, who was now sitting on a chair next to the bed; one, the doctor's wife had brought it into the room for Agnes to use. He was polite and friendly; everyone in town liked him.

"Except for Bradley Johnson," Adam added when Agnes paused and let out a long sigh.

"Everyone who is a decent human being," Agnes then shocked Adam by saying the incident with Bradley wasn't the first time Little Joe had to use his gun in town.

"What happened to warrant him using it before he was shot by Johnson?" Adam kept his eyes on the young woman talking to him.

"What I tell you is only what he and others told the sheriff's deputy after the fact; I ran out of the store when I heard a shot ring out, but the incident actually happened inside the saloon." Agnes turned her gaze to Joseph and then asked, "Sheriff Blanchard or his deputy didn't mention Joseph had used his gun in town before he was shot? I mean, besides on Bradley Johnson?"

"I've never met any deputy and, no," Adam was a bit annoyed, but managed to control his voice. "Sheriff Blanchard has said nothing about any other shootings. All he said was that my brother helped people. What happened?"

"I had introduced him to my best friend Elisha and her brother, Ray. While Elisha and I visited in the general mercantile, Ray took Joseph over to the saloon. That is, after Joseph told Mr. Miller-the store owner-what happened with Bradley Johnson and asked him if I could stay in the store until he and Roy returned. Naturally, Mr. Miller was more than happy to say yes." Agnes closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then-opening her eyes back up-starting telling Adam what she'd been told.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Previously _:_ _"I've never met any deputy and, no," Adam was a bit annoyed, but managed to control his voice. "Sheriff Blanchard has said nothing about any other shootings. All he said was that my brother helped people. What happened?"_

 _~oOo~_

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Come on," Ray nodded towards the bar, "I'll buy you a drink."_

 _Little Joe wasn't about to turn the man down. It had been awhile since he'd been able to simply sit at a bar and visit anyone. As he and Ray walked up to the bar, Little Joe glanced out of his left eye and happened to catch a glimpse of a man who looked awfully familiar. A part of him groaned, wondering if the stranger happened to be from Colby, or one of the nearby towns he'd passed through while hunting down Billy Chapen. He might not have thought about it only the man seemed to be studying Little Joe, and that made Little Joe nervous._

 _"So, Agnes says you're only passing through. You sure you won't consider planting roots here in Limesville?" Ray asked as he recalled how Little Joe had admitted to breaking in horses before. "I know a few good men looking for someone to work on their ranch."_

 _Little Joe felt a familiar pain shoot through his heart at the mention of ranches. Ranching was all he'd ever known and a large part of him still wanted to live on one; however, that part of him wasn't powerful enough to overcome his grief for his father yet. No, being on a ranch only meant seeing his father at every turn. "I appreciate it, but I'll probably only stay a few days."_

 _"Your choice, but if you change your mind, let me know." Ray told Little Joe and then continued to visit with him. The whole time Joe kept a discreet eye on the stranger…even if he seemed to be occupied with a waitress at the moment. By the time Ray was ready to leave, Little Joe wasn't wondering about the stranger; he knew him. The stranger had been in the Colby bar when Billy Chapen had pulled a gun on Little Joe. Joe's hopes that he would not have to deal with the man vanished when the man started to harass the waitress, to the point of trying to force a kiss on her._

 _"Leave the young woman alone; she's a waitress not a dance hall girl." Little Joe stepped away from the bar and hurried to pull the waitress away from the man, who had been drinking just a little bit too much._

 _"She's not your woman and I paid good money for some entertainment." The man growled and lunged for the woman, only to have Joe step in between the two. The waitress ran behind the bar while Joe sent the man flying through the air with his fist. When the man swore and came up with his gun, Little Joe once again shot his attacker in the arm; not wanting to kill him. It wasn't seconds later that the sheriff, who had been walking down the boardwalk near the establishment, came running in._

 _"Hans Nelson!" The sheriff glared at the troublemaker in front of him after being told by the witnesses what happened. "I warned you two days ago that if caused trouble again I'd have to asked you to leave town. Now, go get your arm taken care of and get out!"_

 _"Yes, sir," Hans growled at the sheriff, but threw daggers towards Joe. "I know who you are." He hissed softly as he passed by Joe. "I'll get you! By myself or with help, you're a dead man." He then left the saloon._

 _ **End of flashback**_

"Sheriff Blanchard liked your brother and, after Joseph helped the waitress and me, he tried to offer your brother a job." Agnes took a break in her story only to have Adam nod slightly.

"He said Little Joe turned him down." Adam smiled at the young woman.

"Little Joe? Is that what you call him?" Agnes couldn't help but chuckle.

"He's the youngest of my father's sons and, at times, makes us wonder what he's thinking for as quickly as he acts sometimes, something that's not helped by his temper. You said this happened before the run in with Mr. Johnson?" Adam asked keeping his eyes on Agnes.

"Yes, it did." Agnes answered and then asked if he wanted her to continue or wait for the sheriff, who she thought should be back soon.

"No, continue with the story." Adam answered, half way wondering if he was going to hear that Mr. Hansen had been behind Bradley Johnson's return.

"All right," Agnes took a deep breath and continued talking.

 _ **Return to Flashback**_

 _"I don't like it." Ray said after he and Little Joe rejoined Elisha and Agnes. "Hans is not a good one, never has been and," he paused and looked at his new friend, "he might have been whispering, but I still heard him. You've made yourself an enemy. What if he does as he says and comes back, or sends someone?"_

 _"I've had a few enemies before." Little Joe answered as he gave Ray a half hearted smile. 'You can't live in fear of 'what if's' son; it will paralyze you every time' Ben's words rang in his youngest son's ears. It both hurt and strengthened Little Joe. "I can't hold on to what might happen." Little Joe again tried to smile at Ray. "Now, if you'll excuse us, it's about time for Agnes' brother to return; I need to get her safely home."_

" _See you two later." Ray and Elisha said as they took leave of Little Joe and Agnes._

 _"Thank you for a wonderful afternoon." Agnes said as she and Little Joe walked down the boardwalk, and again apologized for overreacting…even if he had assured her he understood. Then, without really thinking, she asked, "Do you always 'pass through towns'? Don't you ever want to stop moving and put down roots and raise a family?"_

 _It was all Little Joe could do not to stop dead in his tracks; her words hit upon a very raw nerve. How he wanted to see the Ponderosa again and work alongside his brothers. However, he just couldn't get himself to go back knowing only his father's memory lived there now. When it came to a family, he inwardly sighed as he remembered holding Teresa in his arms and promising her he'd only be gone for a little while. Only problem was, he didn't know how long 'a little while' was. "Someday; maybe, but not today." He answered as they turned down a road that led to her two story, pale blue painted home that sat just inside the city limits. Because the two were busy talking, they did not see Hans Larsen sitting on his horse on top of a hill four hundred yards away as they approached the home. Also, as far apart as the three of them were, there was no way Little Joe or Agnes could hear Hans Larsen again vow to make Little Joe pay…one way or the other._


	8. Chapter 8

A/N The first flashback in this chapter comes straight from the episode "The Legacy".

A/N Okay, folks, I did NOT start out to make this a death fic...and I still do NOT want it to be. However, I'm starting to feel a fight coming on so...considered yourself warned. He may or may not pull through.

Chapter Eight

Ben, who had felt his heart drop clear to the soles of his boots when he read the telegram from Sheriff Blanchard, stood in his room throwing a few things into a travel bag; he knew Hoss was doing the same thing in his room. For what felt like the thousandth time, the words in the telegram sounded in his ears.

 _"Joseph Cartwright in Limesville STOP Shot STOP Critical STOP Adam asked me to tell you STOP Reply requested STOP Sheriff Blanchard STOP_

Ben had wasted no time in sending a reply telegram before remounting Buck and racing home, forget about anything else he'd planned to do in Virginia City. All of that paled in comparison to the need to get to his injured son and find out what had happened. At times like this he wished there wasn't a word limit to telegrams. If there wasn't, he wouldn't be waiting to get the answers he so badly wanted.

When it came to Hoss he was just as busy packing as was his father. However, his thoughts were more on the events that led up to his baby brother's whereabouts being unknown until the moment his pa received the news that Adam had successfully located an injured Little Joe. As his mind dwelt on the past he found himself dwelling mostly on the moment he, Adam and Little Joe stormed into Roy Coffee's office.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Little Joe and his brothers stormed into Roy's office, Little Joe dropping his father's saddle down with a loud thud onto the sheriff's table._

 _"Now what in the world is this?" Roy, confused, took a few steps towards the three Cartwright brothers._

 _"Pa went out looking for some poachers this afternoon. We were worried about him when his horse came limping in with his saddle still on." Adam answered. He then explained what had happened, the whole time he and his brothers were fuming, biting at the bit to start tracking their father's killer._

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"We shoulda listened ta Roy; we shoulda waited fer him." Hoss muttered as he closed the top of his suitcase. If they had, they'd had known their father was still alive and; maybe, they'd have thought clear. With his mind on the past, and on chastising himself for not staying with the sheriff and the posse, Hoss did not hear his father's footsteps in the hallway.

By the time Ben stopped just outside Hoss's door, Hoss had just finished chewing himself out. He just had to say something. "No need to talk to yourself that way. What's done is done. Let's just get to Limesville as soon as we can."

Hoss looked up from his suitcase and sighed. "I suppose yer right." He thought about getting a few more items, but then simply picked up his things and headed for the door. Ben stepped out of his way and then followed him down the stairs. Soon they were heading to Virginia City where they would catch the stagecoach to Limesville.

~oOo~

When Adam and Agnes heard the door open, they turned their heads to see the doctor's wife, a short, stocky German woman by the name of Sophia, enter the room. She was carrying a plate with sandwiches and drinks on it. While Adam was grateful for the food, he also silently groaned. With all the interruptions, trying to get the whole story was almost proving impossible.

"Thanks," Adam said as he took his share of the food, but not before Agnes had hers.

"You are velcome," she then looked at Little Joe with sympathy in her eyes before looking at Adam. "I am glad he has family here now." She then turned and walked out of the room.

"So the two of you walked to your home unaware you were being watched by Mr. Hansen. Did he have anything to do with Mr. Johnson coming back into town?" Adam hated the idea that there might still be a man out there somewhere who would be willing to try again if Joe survived this, which he just had to.

"Most likely, but we'll never know. The sheriff's deputy found the man a little way up in the hills after Bradley Johnson went as far as seeing the man in the area. The gentleman-if you want to call him one-was dead, mauled to death by a cougar." She then continued on with the interrupted story.

 **Flashback**

" _What's wrong, Joseph?" asked Agnes. She'd been asked to substitute for the regular teacher and had risen early and walked to the schoolhouse. She frowned at Joseph, who was sitting on the steps leading up to the one room schoolhouse. Actually, it had two if you counted the extremely small office that her father had added onto the back of the school for the teacher to use if she wanted to work in private. Her newest friend looked sad and a thousand miles away._

 _Joseph, who had been fighting a growing sense of despondency, shook his head. What was wrong? How could he answer that question when it meant talking about a father he wished with all his heart he could bring back to the land of the living? When it meant talking about the only home he'd known, a home he missed like nothing else, but couldn't get himself to go back…even if he had two brothers who were solid gold in his book? "Just thinking, quiet place to do it," He said as he could hear people talking off in the distance._

 _Agnes had dealt with a father who battled depression on and off so she easily recognized the symptoms in her new friend. "It helps to talk; I've got to good ears any time you need them." She raised her hand and put it on his shoulder, an action meant for comfort only to have her friend quickly stand up and look away. How was she to know he'd also been thinking about Teresa and how he couldn't help but wonder what she'd say if she knew he'd walked to the Colby saloon hoping Billy Chapen would draw on him; that is, hoped Billy would choose that action once he realized who was standing in the establishment. On top of that, he found himself wondering if, with his attitude the way it had been, he wasn't just as guilty as if he'd took the first shot._

" _I'll be fine." Joseph turned around and did his best to smile at Agnes. "Thanks anyway." He then turned stepped down onto the brown dirt and began walking away._

" _See you after school is over?" Agnes asked, praying that somehow she could get Joseph to let her help him overcome the despair she'd seen in his eyes as they talked. The only answer she received was a nod of Joseph's head as she continued walking away._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 _ **Previously:**_ _"I'll be fine." Joe turned around and did his best to smile at Agnes. "Thanks anyway." He then turned stepped down onto the brown dirt and began walking away._

" _See you after school is over?" Agnes asked, praying that-somehow-she could get Joseph to let her help him overcome the despair she'd seen in his eyes as they talked. The only answer she received was a nod of Joe's head as she continued walking away._

 _~oOo~_

Adam, having a pretty good picture of his brother's state of mind gazed upon Little Joe's injured side, the doctor's wife had pulled down the covers as to change the bandages so Adam had gotten a look at the wound on his brother's right side. _"Should have killed him outright, but it didn't,"_ the doctor's wife's words rang in Adam's mind. _"Still might, if he doesn't start fightin' harder."_ Adam apologized to Agnes and then asked her to just tell him about the day his baby brother got shot. The sooner she did that; the sooner he could ask her to leave so he could talk to his youngest sibling.

"You missed the excitement by hours." Agnes looked at Adam, who had arrived in Limesville on the two o'clock stage. "He was shot this morning after he picked me up from the diner's; my parents trust him because he's been so good to help everyone in town-even if he does keep to himself after the work is done. Though, I guess I should say after he left the sheriff's office. There was a bit of trouble after he'd picked me up, and we wound up at the sheriff's office."

Adam cursed silently. If only he'd been able to get out of Martinsdale faster; maybe, he could have prevented this. "So, tell me about it." He pressed in a demanding, but controlled, tone of voice.

Agnes rubbed her forehead and began telling the events of that morning.

 _ **Flashback**_

" _Have you seen Joseph?" Ray walked up to Agnes, who was standing in front of the sheriff's office._

" _There was a bit of trouble in the saloon again. He's in talking with the sheriff." She decided against telling Ray that Joe had, once again, been forced into a position where he'd had to defend himself against the man. Sure, he might learn the whole story in time; it just wasn't going to be from her. Ray was already getting a few ideas when it came to Joseph, his ability with a gun and his refusal to talk about his past. She didn't want him coming up with more._

" _They should make him deputy." Ray laughed and then asked her to ask Joseph if he had some time to spare. "We need his help fixing the barbershop's roof." The Barber had taken a spill the week before while trying to fix the roof and broken his leg; the town's people wanted to help him out by doing the job themselves._

" _Sure, I…" Agnes stopped and glanced past Ray, her heart skipping a beat as she did so._

" _What is it?" Ray turned and looked in the direction his friend was but saw nothing._

" _I thought I saw Bradley Johnson." Agnes shuddered at the thought._ _She_ _and her family were supposed to be leaving in the next week; why was the man showing up in town before he was suppose to?_

" _Bradley! He'll only cause trouble if he's back in town!" Ray spoke louder than he meant to and, before he could count to five, Joseph and the sheriff were walking out._

" _What's wrong? What are you yelling about?" Sheriff Blanchard asked as he and Joe looked at Ray and Agnes, who still looked a bit pale._

 _Agnes swallowed hard and told the lawman and Joseph what she thought she'd seen. She wasn't surprised when her "uncle" exploded. Joseph did what he could to quiet the man down._

" _Ray and I can keep an eye open for him, and I'll make sure Agnes gets home safely." Joseph said as he could see Bradley harassing; maybe even hurting, Agnes again._

" _Fine, but if you see him, bring him to my office!" Sheriff Blanchard turned and disappeared back into his office, muttering the whole time about men like Bradley Johnson._

 _Joseph, Ray and Agnes then began walking down the boardwalk only to hear a shot ring out. Agnes screamed as Joseph went down and Ray, who had whirled around to see where the shot came from, whipped his pistol out and shot Bradley Johnson; the man was in the store building next to the sheriff's office and could be seen through a window on the second floor of the establishment._

 _ **End of Flashback**_

"Bradley fell through the window and to the ground; he was dead before he hit the ground." Agnes said as she stood up to stretch her legs. "Like I already said, Mr. Larson most likely hired him, but we'll never know for sure."

"How often did he tangle with troublemakers?" Adam asked, as he thought on the fact that she said Little Joe kept to himself when he wasn't helping someone.

Agnes thought about it for a few minutes and then answered quietly, "Every few days it seemed. The sheriff tried again to get your brother to hire on as a second deputy when his deputy had to leave town on a family emergency. On a part time basis, only the best he got was your brother Joseph agreeing to keep his eyes open and do what he could until the deputy returns. Why?"

Adam didn't answer as he moved his chair until it touched the side of Joe's bed. He then started to answer her question only to have the doctor's wife poke her head, telling the young woman she was needed by her mother.

"Guess I best go. I'll be back though," Agnes glanced at Joseph and then left the room.

Once the door was shut behind her, Adam picked up his brother's hand and began talking to Little Joe. "If I'm to be honest, I can see why you didn't come straight home. I mean, I almost stayed away too. And, if I had, I might have allowed myself to get into such a depressed state of mind that I went looking for trouble—maybe secretly hoping to join pa on the other side. But, Joe," Adam leaned forward, "there is no need to. Pa is alive; the poacher didn't succeed in killing him. I've sent for him and Hoss; you've got to fight to live; you've just got too!" Adam said as he reached out and felt Little Joe's forehead which was, as the doctor put it, too warm for his liking. "Fight it, Little Joe, just fight it!" He leaned back in his chair, but kept a hold of his baby brother's hand.


	10. Chapter 10

Call Me Joseph

Chapter Ten

When the stagecoach Ben and Hoss were riding in came to a stop outside Limesville's general mercantile, it was almost noon and the sun was beating down upon the streets of Limesville. The two wasted no time in climbing out of the coach and grabbing their suitcases from the driver.

"Telegraph never said where Little Joe was being kept, guess we best head to the hotel," Ben said as he gestured towards a building a hundred yards away-one that had a sign above its doors, on that read "Mallory's Hotel. "Then we'll go look the sheriff up."

However, they hadn't taken a step before the sheriff, who had just come out of the mercantile and heard what Ben said, stopped them. "Are you Ben Cartwright?" The sheriff quickly descended the few steps that led up to the store's doors.

Seeing the badge the man wore, Ben extended his hand and smiled the best he could. "Yes, I am." He then introduced Hoss. "Where is Little Joe? Is Adam still with him?"

Like Agnes, the sheriff couldn't help but smile at the nickname the Cartwrights had given their youngest family member. "Joseph is being tended to over at the doctor's home, and yes, Adam is still there." Sheriff Blanchard started to walk down the boardwalk. "I'll take you."

Neither Ben nor Hoss were about to tell him not too. Upon Ben's request, the sheriff gave the two Cartwrights a very condensed version of the events leading up to Little Joe being shot. Also, thanks to having Adam lay into him for not telling him about Hans and his part in Joseph's saga, the sheriff made sure to include 'that' incident in his account. By the time he finished he, Ben and Hoss were standing inside the doctor's home.

Ben and Hoss looked around. The living room they stood in wasn't overly large, but it still held a fine looking sofa that set against the south wall, a piano that set east wall and a fireplace sat in the northwest corner. They could see a kitchen off to their left; it and the living room were separated by an entrance way in the shape of a kitchen. From where they stood they could see another archway on the north side of the room; it had a hallway running between it and a large brown door that they assumed led to a bedroom. Any other rooms in the home could not be seen from where they stood.

"This is Joseph's father." The sheriff looked at the doctor who had just opened the large brown door and stepped into the hallway. It turned out that Ben had assumed right, it was the room Little Joe lay in. Ben knew that because he caught a glimpse of Little Joe lying unconscious in the bed and the back of Adam's head before the doctor shut the door. "Sorry," Sheriff Blanchard glanced at Ben, "He's been Joseph to me since the day I met him. Little Joe sounds like a stranger to me."

Ben smiled. "I understand." He then looked at the doctor. "How is my son?

"Not good, though he is doing a bit better than he was since your oldest arrived, started talking and staying with him." He looked at the door and shook his head. "Guess I should have left it open. Go ahead and go in. I have other patients to visit." The good doctor said as he headed for the front door. "Maybe having all of you here will be enough to pull him through this." The doctor said, as he started to close the door behind him, only to have the sheriff speak up and say he had to leave.

The sheriff hoped the doctor was right. After all, the man everyone in town had known simply as Joseph was a very good man. The doctor and sheriff both sincerely hoped the old saying 'only the good die young' would not be proven to be true in this case.

The moment the sheriff walked out the door, and the good doctor shut the front door to his home, Ben and Hoss moved quickly and soon Ben was opening the door. Naturally, the noise made Adam turn his head. He quickly stood up and offered his father the chair he'd been using.

"Has he woken up at all?" Hoss asked Adam as they watched their father sit down and brush Little Joe's bangs off to the side of his face.

"Not really, but he has talked as he's tossed his head side to side at times." Adam, who had moved to the head of the bed on the opposite side of his father, answered. "He keeps mumbling that he should've only wounded Billy Chafen and taken him to the sheriff instead of flat out killing him and something about disappointment." He sighed. "I think he has convinced himself that he's a disappointment to you. I think that while, yes, he was honestly doing his best to help people here, he was unconsciously, looking for trouble…looking for a way to…." His voice trailed off unable to complete his thoughts.

Both Ben and Hoss felt shivers go down their back. Adam did not need to complete his sentence for the two of them to know he was saying that the youngest Cartwright had fallen into such a melancholy state of mind that he'd been, unconsciously, looking for a way to die and cross over to the other side.

"Little Joe," Ben began talking to his youngest son, hoping against hope his youngest would actually hear him.

 _Little Joe was shocked to open his eyes and find himself surrounded by what appeared to be white mist that went up to his waist. What on earth was going on? The last thing he remembered was walking out of the sheriff's office, joining Ray and Agnes and hearing a shot ring out. When he felt someone behind him, he turned around and received a greater shock…he could see himself lying in a bed and his father and brothers standing around the bed, each talking to him._

 _'I've got to be dreaming!' Joseph shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them; the scene remained unchanged. "This is impossible! Pa was murdered by a poacher!" He was stunned beyond measure as he heard a familiar voice behind him say 'He was only wounded not killed.'_

 _Little Joe whirled around and about fell to his knees; his own mother stood behind him in a long flowing white dress. She restated what she'd just said about Ben, and then gently chastised him for not going home. "They are your family; even if Ben had died, Adam and Hoss are your brothers. They'd have been there for you."_

 _"I know." Little Joe sighed and looked as he looked from his family to his mother and then asked quietly, "What now?"_


	11. Chapter 11

Call Me Joseph

*Comes straight from "The Legacy" spoken by the character **Jacob J. Dormann,** played by the late Robert H Harris.

Chapter Eleven

 **Previously:**

 _'I've got to be dreaming!' Joseph shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them; the scene remained unchanged. "This is impossible! Pa was murdered by a poacher!" He was stunned beyond measure as he heard a familiar voice behind him say 'He was only wounded not killed.'_

 _Little Joe whirled around and about fell to his knees; his own mother stood behind him in a long flowing white dress. She restated what she'd just said about Ben and then gently chastised him for not going home. "They are your family; even if Ben had died, Adam and Hoss are your brothers. They'd have been there for you."_

 _"I know." Little Joe sighed and looked as he looked from his family to his mother and then asked quietly, "What now?"_

~oOo~

Ben, who had refused to budge from his youngest side, leaned back in a more comfortable chair…one that the doctor's wife had brought in for him earlier in the day. It looked a lot like his chair back in his own home. He watched as Joe's chest rose up and down steadily. He shuddered as he remembered the first time Little Joe had started convulsing and, to his and the others horror, had actually stopped breathing for a moment.

 _"Don't you dare go dying!" Ben had jumped up and started pounding on Joe's chest, unwilling to simply sit by and watch his son pass away. "I don't care about any sort of legacy for myself! All I want is you and your brothers all alive!"_

 _Not wanting Little Joe to die, but not wanting to see his father work himself into a frenzy either, Adam went to intervene only to have Little Joe start breathing on his own._

That-pounding on Little Joe's chest-was something that would happen three more times over the course of another week. Later, the doctor told them that whatever Ben did when he would hit Little Joe's chest had to be what actually kept Little Joe with them.

"Pa,"" Hoss, who had returned with a sandwich for his father, looked at Little Jo _e._ "He'll be okay; you'll see."

 _ *****_ _"In my business a man can count himself lucky if he's two thirds successful"_ _ *****_ Jacob Darrmon's words rang in Ben's ears. All of a sudden Ben knew just what to say to his youngest son. He picked up Little Joe's hand and, squeezing it slightly, he leaned forward and said, "I'm alive Little Joe and I'm not ashamed of you. You're not a failure. If you were, you wouldn't have gone into the bar and confronted Billy…you'd have waited until he was alone and then either ambushed him or confronted him and killed him without ever giving him a chance to defend himself."

"Ya listen to pa, Little Joe." Hoss spoke up. "Pa's telling ya the truth."

Adam, who had walked into the room just as his father began speaking, walked up leaned against the wall, backing his father and Hoss up. Silence then spread itself throughout the room once more.

After a few minutes, Ben started to hang his head, hoping his son had heard him, only to freeze when he heard a voice he'd almost given up hearing again whisper, "Call me Joseph, or at least Joe, please."

Ben's head flew up, while Adam and Hoss quickly moved to the side of the bed. Little Joe's eyes were open and he was giving them all a weak smile. "I know I'm the youngest is the family, but aren't I too old to be called little anymore? Well, by anyone but pa?"

Grins spread over all their faces as they chuckled and agreed; Adam and Hoss would start calling him Joe, but Ben would forever hold the right to call him Little Joe.

 **Epilogue (one year later)**

Joe stood looking in a room that stood in the back of the church looking at himself. He was dressed in his Sunday best, but it wasn't Sunday meetings he was going to. The day he'd proposed to Teresa was still fresh in his mind; the young woman had moved to Virginia City the moment Adam had appeared in Martinsdale and told her everything.

" _Little Joe!" Teresa let out a scream of delight as Joe and Hoss entered the Virginia City dressmaker's shop and ran straight for his open arms; she'd been out to the Ponderosa a number of times since his return, and it was common knowledge how serious the two of them were._

 _Joe held onto her for all he was worth. 'Guess my father isn't the only one who can still call me that.' Joe thought for the hundredth time. "I don't suppose I could convince you to become Mrs. Joseph Cartwright." He pulled back and smiled, lifting his right hand to her left cheek._

" _As long as you don't go disappearing again," she loving chastised him. "I don't want to risk losing you to another girl." Joe smiled even wider and promised her he had never looked at anyone but her. However, he did tell her about Agnes and just why he'd been with her so much. "From what I hear, she and her family had left Limesville while I was still battling for my life. Though, she did stop by and visit my pa and brothers. I hope you're not going to hold that one against me."_

 _Teresa had smile and assured him she knew better than that, saying, "If our paths ever cross, I'll thank her for everything."_

"You look fine and so does your bride." Ben smiled as he stepped inside the room, as he remembered how close it had come to this scene never existing. After regaining consciousness the first time, this particular son had continued to battle for his life for as one infection after another tried to push him through death's door. Finally, after one very long month, Limeville's doctor pronounced him out of danger. Ben had then taken Little Joe back to the Ponderosa. Even then, it had taken almost three months for his youngest to get his full strength back. Now; not only did Ben have all three of his sons back, but he was gaining a daughter-in-law as well.

Joseph turned around and smiled at his father and, thinking on Ben's words spoken in Limesville said, "No matter how one feels about things, family's got to the best legacy a man can have."

Ben smiled wide and clasped his hand on his youngest's shoulder. "I would say so." He then turned and left the room, telling his son he best get in place as the preacher was ready to get started.


End file.
